Consociational

A principle under which individuals are considered part of a state as members of communities rather than as individuals. It could be manifested through community (ethnic or religious) seats in a legislature, power sharing in government, or the right of communities to veto certain governmental decisions. No state is fully consociational; Belgium is a modern example of a state with consociational features. The term is associated with the work of the political scientist Arend Lijphard.